Experiment First: Real Customer Feedback = $$ not words

Ask: “Is it OK if I take pictures of your inventory of shoes and post them online?”

Make this promise: “If a customer buys a pair online, I will come back to the store and buy the shoes full price.”

The question he wanted to test for was: Is there already sufficient demand for a superior online shopping experience for shoes?
The answer he got from people buying the shoes he posted pictures of was: Yes

After that. He started setting up a team, buying inventory, finding investors and technology. All that stuff that some other people start doing before they know what the customers really need.